Orangegrove’s Epic Adventure – Two Week Cruise from July 17-31, Eastern and Western C

[orangegrove]

Here it is folks...I used SkyDrive....whoo hoo. Please let me know if it does not work...Thanks....what a work out...and learning experience! :p

 

http://tiny.cc/s176x

 

Kerstin

 

sorry this was supposed to go in another thread. It is where the dailies are.

[findingnemoks]

Thank you so much!!!

[sc2011]

You mentioned a bottle of wine from your travel agent. You were able to bring wine on board? I asked a cpl questions earlier but hadn't seen a response. Just curious.

[orangegrove]

You mentioned a bottle of wine from your travel agent. You were able to bring wine on board? I asked a cpl questions earlier but hadn't seen a response. Just curious.

 

I did but forgot to answer. So sorry, I was busy trying to get the dailies posted.:o

 

The wine was sent by my TA and when we arrived in the room there was a bottle of wine and later on chocolate covered strawberries came! :D My TA rocks! (she ordered through NCL)

 

There was also a note that indicated the gift was from her.

[PanamaJoe]

I'm confused, isn't there a place for the B2B passengers to meet up at onboard. When I made reservations we were told, you could stay on the ship. Our cruise consultant also told us cruise would count as 2, we originally had booked each week separately and changed to 14 day based on (NCL) cruise consultants advice. Advice Please. :confused:

 

If you booked or had it changed to one reservation then it only counts as one credit towards Latitudes, trust me on this one!

 

Our Epic cruise is booked a one 14 day and I booked our Europe cruise as two separate, however makes no difference for us unless they add another level above Platinum

.

[orangegrove]

If you booked or had it changed to one reservation then it only counts as one credit towards Latitudes, trust me on this one!

 

Our Epic cruise is booked a one 14 day and I booked our Europe cruise as two separate, however makes no difference for us unless they add another level above Platinum

.

 

Today I recieved an email from my TA and she emailed Latitudes and they credited us for the 2nd week! :) So now we are Silver! Yeah!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for the great review, the pictures and the best part the dallies. It may be a long time to wait until we go but it sure gives me much to look forward to!:)

[startrek77]

You Guy's ROCK:cool:

 

This is the best review yet!:D

 

Thanks for taking the time to write it.:p

 

I will be on the 10/23/10 cruise,there will be 3 of us all Solo cabins-YES:eek:

[mitsugirly]

geesh double post. Sorry

[mitsugirly]

Thanks so much for the review. I'm getting my fix for the night. Excellent review!

 

Here are my notes (hehe):

 

Tip 4: note that the telephone is also very bright. It’s like a giant cell phone that is constantly on. On the upper right of the screen there is a light bulb, touch the bulb and the phone goes to sleep so to speak!

 

Thanks so much for this tip. I have yet to see anyone mention it and everyone has stated how bright it is at night and they had to cover it with a towel or something. :p

When we got back to the room this afternoon there was an invitation to a cocktail party for my husband and myself at 6:00pm in the Bliss Lounge. Hmmmm, what could this be. Well, we had reservations for 7p at La Cucina so we got showered and dressed earlier. We got there and we had unlimited cocktails and appetizers.

Did you ever figure out why you were invited? Do you think it was to make up for the small complaint you had? Hmmm, should I find something to complain about when I arrive for some free drinks and appetizers? :D (just kidding)

No photography allowed. They did stipulate no flash photography. I didn’t even try. I didn’t want to get thrown out.

 

 

They tell you that you can't take pictures during the show? How are all these pictures showing up on cc? They are really neat and I had planned on taking my camera with me (of course no flash).

They came back pressed on hangers (not the wears!)

Sorry, that was just funny!

Note: if you are disembarking on Saturday remember to pick up your colored bag tags with the time you want to leave before you get off the ship for Nassau. (There is not a time that says ‘Never’ J)

VERY disappointing. (I'm over here laughing at the witty comments during your review.)

Bowling btw is $5 includes shoes. There was always a wait. Even in the Bliss lounge. My DH and DS tried twice. Both times over an hour and a half wait.

 

 

I hate to hear this. I really want to try my hand at seeing what it would be like to be drunk and bowl. (That's the only thing I could picture in my mind bowling while at sea would be like) :eek: I've heard others say that they normally don't see people waiting to bowl. Hopefully it was just your cruise. :p

Ok, off to find the review of the Western half (if you have it posted yet??). I plan on trying to do a western cruise next year for vacation and need some great tips. :)

 

 

 

 

[orangegrove]

When we got back to the room this afternoon there was an invitation to a cocktail party for my husband and myself at 6:00pm in the Bliss Lounge. Hmmmm, what could this be. Well, we had reservations for 7p at La Cucina so we got showered and dressed earlier. We got there and we had unlimited cocktails and appetizers.

Did you ever figure out why you were invited? Do you think it was to make up for the small complaint you had? Hmmm, should I find something to complain about when I arrive for some free drinks and appetizers? :D (just kidding)

Never found out why.

 

No photography allowed. They did stipulate no flash photography. I didn’t even try. I didn’t want to get thrown out.

 

 

They tell you that you can't take pictures during the show? How are all these pictures showing up on cc? They are really neat and I had planned on taking my camera with me (of course no flash). They said no flash, maybe try and be sure your flash is not on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bowling btw is $5 includes shoes. There was always a wait. Even in the Bliss lounge. My DH and DS tried twice. Both times over an hour and a half wait.

 

 

I hate to hear this. I really want to try my hand at seeing what it would be like to be drunk and bowl. (That's the only thing I could picture in my mind bowling while at sea would be like) :eek: I've heard others say that they normally don't see people waiting to bowl. Hopefully it was just your cruise. :p

Try anyways, it could be just timing.

 

Ok, off to find the review of the Western half (if you have it posted yet??). I plan on trying to do a western cruise next year for vacation and need some great tips. :)

 

 

I've been so busy trying to get these dailies posted I stopped writing the second half. I am almost finished and hope to have up tomorrow sometime!

[mitsugirly]

Is the 2nd half not posted yet? Or am I missing it? It's been a long day, so I may just be missing it. :o

[orangegrove]

Is the 2nd half not posted yet? Or am I missing it? It's been a long day, so I may just be missing it. :o

 

No, I am so sorry. I was so busy with the dailies I wasn't in the mood to finish up, I promise, I will get it done tomorrow.:o

[mitsugirly]

No, I am so sorry. I was so busy with the dailies I wasn't in the mood to finish up, I promise, I will get it done tomorrow.:o

 

 

No problem. I just thought I was missing it. I have all weekend. :D

[sdmike]

Great stuff! It all looks SO familiar! I wanna go back! :)

[miniwheat]

I'm ready for part two!!:D

[Kooolmomma]

No, I need to finish it up...I've been busy and cc has been so slow, it's frustrating!

 

I also have to be in the mood to write. The first week took 13 Word pages! :eek:

 

No problem; we just loved your post on the Eastern part that we can't wait for the Western! Your tips of the day are fabulous.

 

Mary Lou

[maggie5555]

THANKYOU!!! this is great having people like yourself and sdmike giving such detailed info...I love that you posted the dailies and am going to read now...

 

please take your time;) with the Western review...As a Western upcoming crsuiser although trying to be patient I but would rather you take your time and do as awesome a job as you did on the Eastern .....

 

Thanks again!!!

[orangegrove]

I'm ready for part two!!:D

 

Here comes part 2!

[orangegrove]

Week 2 – July 24-July 31 – Western Caribbean

Embarkation – Saturday, July 24 – As I stated earlier we went to Headliner’s and got our next group of entertainment options settled. If you do this right away then you can avoid a long Disney like line. For the rest of the afternoon we wandered around and helped confused folks. We ate in Taste for lunch which was delicious and again, not in the midst of the herd.

Dinner reservations that evening were at Shanghai’s $15. This is a Chinese/Asian place, but not like Chinese American take-out that many are used to eating. This was our least favorite restaurant. I liked some of the appetizers, spring rolls and calamari. One appetizer was a General Tso’s Chicken Lettuce Wrap. Many of us Americans know General Tso’s is that fried, spicey, battered chicken, well not this. It’s a ground chicken mixture that is a bit spicy, you wrap in the lettuce and eat. It wasn’t horrible or anything, it’s just not what was expected. We ate family style meaning they bring all the dishes to the center of the table and you share with others at the table. You do not have to eat this way. We were one family so it worked for us. We also had the beef and orange dish, the pork dish, fried rice combination (different meats in rice) and steamed rice. It was an okay meal but my husband was not happy, and my son was not that excited about it. The green tea ice cream was good, but my son and husband refused to eat anything that green! LOL

Tonight we saw BMG again. This was a good thing. We got there early enough this time and had center seats vs. the sides and we could see what we missed last week. If you see this twice, sit in a different location for a slightly different look to the show. I must say that the 10pm show was much fuller than the 7pm we saw the previous week. I think because people are still wandering the ship on Saturday the 7pm was just a bit early for people to make it there.

[orangegrove]

Week 2 – Day 2, Sunday – Sea Day – Typical sea day things. We spent time at the pool. My son went to Recess and of course we used the Spa. The spa on sea days can be busy, but whenever we went we were able to lie on a stone heating chair and use the Hydrotherapy Pool. The hardest place to get a spot was the outside loungers that look aft. It’s a very serene place and was one of my favorite places to read.

Day 3, Monday – Costa Maya – The port that wasn’t! – Well today I wake up and open the curtain and lo and behold…dark and stormy outside. I’m thinking, we are not going to make it today. But I get the rest of the crew up to shower and get ready just in case we arrive late like we did in Nassau last week. We make our way down to the Manhattan Room for breakfast, we love eating here for breakfast. In the midst of eating my Eggs Benedict the captain comes over the PA system and announces the cancellation of the port. There are 45mph winds across the pool deck, so we know this will not be a fun sea day.

A few months ago I booked an outside excursion with Native Choice of Costa Maya. It was the “Mayan Experience Tour”. We were supposed to go to the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and visit a Mayan Village where we would learn about the Mayan culture and have a traditional Mayan meal. I have read fantastic reviews about Native Choice and our family was looking forward to this experience. You have to prepay $15 per person through their PayPal account and the remainder you bring in cash. This whole trip was much cheaper than through the ship and looked to be much more intimate.

When the port was cancelled, NCL of course reimburses all passengers for ship booked excursions. Well, I told my husband I think we just spent $45 in Costa Maya and didn’t even see a palm tree. I said I could try emailing when I got home and see if they could refund the deposit. Lo and behold, when I got home and looked through my 500+ email messages there was an email from Native Choice who immediately refunded the deposit that very day! I couldn’t believe it! What a fantastic business! I highly recommend this very trustworthy company. I am looking forward to seeing Costa Maya someday and will most defiantly book with Native Choice.

Now we had to decide what to do for the rest of the day. Weather was not great so no pool, although there were some crazies out there later in the day. They ended up creating a sea day itinerary which I included in the Western Dailies post. The water slides apparently opened up at noon. We headed away from Costa Maya and we did this paper clip type loop out in the middle of nowhere so I guess the weather was better and they were able to use the slides. We chose not to. We ended up having lunch in the buffet and after that my son went to the kids club Recess. They revamped their schedule too. My husband and I did some more wandering around, watched the “Blind Side” on the big screen for a little while and ended up in the spa for a few hours. It was crowded but people come and go and I read a whole lot. I was glad we had the pass at this point.

I can’t even remember where we ate dinner this night. My guess is either Manhattan or Taste. At this point in the trip we avoided the buffet for meals only because it gets to be so loud and too many people. We do go to the buffet for the ice cream and the cobbler’s. M-m-m-m good! It’s also a great place to grab some fruit if you want to be healthy or a pretzel roll if you don’t! J

[orangegrove]

Day 4 – Tuesday – July 27-Roatan, Honduras – Our favorite place of the trip! We had no plans here per se. We took our time in the morning because we knew people were anxious to get off that ship after being stuck on it the day before. We had breakfast again in the Manhattan Room and made our way out onto the pier. Roatan had a huge welcome for the Epic. The Native Dancers and drum players were there as usual in Roatan, but they were giving out small cigars for the men and small straw native dolls for the women and kids. They had a huge sign and I think all of Roatan was there to welcome the Epic. I found out later that the President of Honduras came to meet with the captain. (not on the ship though). Which is why there were a tremendous amount of Military Police around. Roatan is basically a crime free island, or so they say. In any case, we walked through the pier shops and out to the main street to see the locals. Many cab drivers/tour guides were coming up an asking us if we want to go here or there. Now, I just wanted to shop and for me it got to be annoying. However, my husband thrives on this kind of thing. He has been on several mission trips to Tijuana and is used to dealing with the “sales” people of Mexico. These Hondurans were basically acting the same way. Two small boys (8 and 11yo) attached themselves to us. They showed us shops and where to go and not to go. No one really bothered us after they attached themselves except for cab drivers again to ask if we wanted to go elsewhere. After meandering the streets for awhile and picking up a few souvenirs we met up with a very nice gentleman named Eric. He is cab driver and he speaks English fluently. I had a good feeling about him and told him when we were done we would find him. After more shopping and deciding we were hot enough we found our way back to Eric. He offered to take us to the beach and give us a tour of the island. We never did ask how much up front but I figured it would be about $100 for the day at least. Eric is the NICEST cab driver ever! He took us all over the island. Before we left he needed gas and stopped at the station. $6 a gallon! Due to the economy the island is really hurting. He actually had to borrow the gas. He said at this time of year they only have ships come in once every 2 weeks and there are over 400 cab drivers on this small island all trying to make some money. The other ships were not able to make it into port because of the swells from the day before. We were lucky to have this port. He also said that the Carnival Pier has special cab drivers and many of the local cab drivers are not allowed at that pier without a special license. Very interesting I thought. On we go to tour Roatan. We stop at the highlight of our trip: Victor Bodden’s Monkey Park. This is only $5 per person to get in. Heck of a lot cheaper than ship price. Here you interact with the monkeys and other animals. They have large cages and the animals all are very friendly. We got to hold the cutest baby monkeys. I think he called them Cappuccino Monkeys but I think he meant Capuchin Monkeys. They were too cute. They climbed all over the place. They get the animals as babies so they are around humans and are at ease around people. Other animals include Toucans, deer, an anteater like animal that I can’t remember the name of, Macaws that were beautiful, and one squirrel who did not want us to leave. The tour guide would put him on his stand and he flew across the cage and would keep landing on our shoulders and climb on our head! After washing our hands we headed back to the cab to continue our tour. We now decided we were hot and sweaty and wanted to go to the beach. Eric continued to be a great host and told about the island and his family. He has 3 children and pays for them to go to a private school. Cost is about $125 a month. He also works as a fisherman to make ends meet. He has been living on Roatan for 11 years and loves being here. He feels blessed to be here and really loves his family. I knew he was the right guy to pick. We ended up going to the West End Area and to Tabyana Beach. Absolutely beautiful beach. Eric got us a table at the “Thirsty Turtle” which is part of the Bananarama Beach and Dive Resort. This is an eco-friendly restaurant and all drinks are served in either paper cups or glass bottles which are recycled. It was free for us to stay at the table. We ordered some Rum Punch which was on special 2 for $5 and chips and salsa, I think they were $5 or $6, kind of high but it was a nice change from the ship. It was all freshly made. You could rent chairs, but there was no shade out on the beach. The tables all were shaded by tents, umbrellas, or thatched roof like structures. We spent 2 hours at the beach. He said we could stay as long as we like; we were his only tour for the day. They had other things to rent available; I have no idea about cost though. We were pretty much done for the day by then. I think if we stayed where sdmike did at Infinity Bay, which was probably 200ft away, I think we may have stayed longer because of the fresh water pool. But we really did enjoy ourselves.

We started to head back and we made a few stops on the way back, mostly for views. He did take us to the top of this big hill and I got a good shot of the Epic from there. It may not be there long though, there were houses being built on this hill because it is an awesome view. He continued to educate us about Roatan and we were back at the pier in no time. We were settling up and he said the charge would be $60. My husband and I looked totally surprised. We thought he was worth much more than that. My husband gave him a substantial tip and another $10 for gas. (although that only gives him 1 ½ gallons thinking about it now!). Eric was so appreciative he about cried. I almost did too. He didn’t have a business card, but he wears a red hat and shirt and you have to go outside the pier and head towards town to find him. I told him to get some paper and card stock and print up some business cards to hand out. He is such a fantastic guy, with such a great personality, and I would love to send business his way. WE LOVED ROATAN! What a great day!

After leaving Eric we did some shopping at the pier and my husband bought some cigars from the cigar guy. He hand rolls them right there. For those that are interested, there is a Christmas shop on the upper floor and here is where I bought my favorite ornament this trip. It was Santa in a bathing suit, lying on a hammock, with an umbrella drink in his hand. Too cute! The shop smelled like Christmas too! They had a lot of cute things but I just don’t need more stuff!

We went back to the ship to get cooled off and showered. We really had a great day and would love to visit Roatan again!

[orangegrove]

Day 5 – Wednesday, July 28 – Sea Day – Today again was a typical sea day. Did stuff here and there and killed time until we went to our second visit to Cirque Dreams and Dinner. This was great to see again and we did the premium seating also. We had a different view this time and most of the show was the same. We did notice they changed some of the acrobatics. The part when the two guys get on the tube and add a table and try to balance, they only had 2 two tables plus the one tube to balance on. On our first visit they had 2 tubes perpendicular to each other and 3 tables! It was unbelievable, not that what they did the second time wasn’t great, but having seen them previously I was waiting for them to add more. In any case the show did not disappoint and it was fantastic!

Tonight we also went to see the comedian/magician Jeff Hobson. He comes on at 11pm in the Epic Theater. It is mostly family friendly and some of his stuff should go over the heads of young ones. But he is very flamboyant and it is part of his shtick. We laughed so hard. He has only a couple of evening shows. I missed his show in the Spiegel Tent which I guess would be more intimate. I hear there are videos of his act out on Youtube. Maybe view and find out if he works for your family.

[orangegrove]

Day 6 – Thursday, July 29 - Cozumel, Mexico – Today my son and husband go scuba diving. Actually my son is taking his first course, Intro to Scuba and because my husband dives he’s going with him. For me, it’s a spa morning! Whoo hoo for me! We decided to go with the ship excursion on this one for convenience sake. My husband didn’t want to lug all his gear for an intro course. It was a 2 ½ hour excursion and that would leave us time to wander around in the afternoon. They put the people in prepaid cabs and they went to a beach for the course. My husband does not have details, so I’m going with what I was told. He said they were great and were happy to find out my husband was certified that way they had an extra in case help was needed. Turned out that was the case. There were onl y 7 people in the group, there was supposed to be 9. So that was good for the group. My DH said that our son did fantastic. He didn’t argue, he listened, he passed the written test with no help, and he understood how everything worked without problems. My son absolutely loved it! Now, on the ticket it states no underwater cameras allowed for intro course. So my husband didn’t take ours. I get it, too much to think about without having to worry about taking pictures. It turns out that my husband could have taken the camera because he was certified and they would have allowed him to do so. They did take 2 pictures of them which my husband bought, so we have something to remember his dive by. My husband also did not take a lot of money with him. They could have dived again for ½ price, since he ran out of moolah due to picture purchase, they couldn’t go. My son was disappointed but they did have a good ½ hour under water. My husband said the scuba instructors were grateful he was there because one of the individuals had a heck of a time trying to figure out how the scuba thing works. This guy’s girlfriend had no problem and she was down at the bottom, my husband said the guy never made it and his girlfriend was getting frustrated that he couldn’t do it. He probably was not happy after seeing our 11 year old put on all the equipment and scuba like he was a pro. My son was the only child there.

In the meantime I enjoyed the entire spa to myself for about 1 hour! I couldn’t believe no one else was there. I did my little routine and then took a spot on an aft lounger and read for the next 2 hours. Loved it! When I left there was one other lady on the inside loungers reading her kindle. (My next purchase! J) I headed back to the room about 12noon and my husband just got out of the shower. My son could not stop talking about scuba diving! He had the biggest smile on his face. So I guess I have to sign him up for some courses here. Cha-ching! J

After we shower and change we head back out to shop and have lunch somewhere other than the ship. We go through the mall area and end up at Senior Frogs. We take the escalator to the top and here the party going on. It’s located right next to Carlos and Charlie’s which was already packed. We have not had any Mexican food on the ship so this was actually a good place to have lunch. This truly is a tourist trap, but we had fun and we all got balloon hats. (for a tip of course). They also took a picture of the family that turned out pretty good; even if we were wearing sombreros! So we purchased with the heavy frame because by this point we almost drank a yard of whatever I ordered and we were happy! J We finish up at Senior Frogs and meander our way out through the store and back into the mall area. My son wants one of those name bracelets so we get one to add to his collection. What’s another bracelet or Sillyband matter? In any case we drop a few dollars in a couple of stores and head back to the ship. We get back to the cabin and my husband forgets to stop at the pharmacy. He wanted chocolate! J There is a pharmacy right at the pier and last year my husband fell early on in the cruise and twisted his ankle badly and we needed to get him some pain medicine and he remembered they had chocolate bars there which were cheaper than the ship! LOL I told him I was done shopping this trip and he could go if he wanted. He did. He came back with Snicker’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. They were good; we haven’t had any the whole time we’ve been on the ship. They have them in the ship stores but they are expensive and we just didn’t think about it.

So we had another great day at port. Our last port, how sad! L Until next time, I always have one in the works! J

That evening we ate at O’Sheehan’s because we were full from Senior Frogs. We wander again in and out of various venues and have an enjoyable evening.

[orangegrove]

Day 7 – Friday, July 30 – Sea Day – Last Day – So today is the last day of the rest of our adventure! How sad. We made this a pool day. We got up, went to breakfast and headed out to the pool. We found a spot to plant ourselves for a few hours and relax. Up to this point I had not been on the slides. I know 2 weeks and no slides! Hard to believe. The lines had been too long and I was doing my own thing. I decided now or never. There was hardly any line, so up I went. What a blast. I loved the green one the best. I had my fill, went down a few times and am glad I did. As I said it was a pool day so we had lunch at the Great Outdoors. We truly had a relaxing last day. It was a fitting end to our wonderful vacation.

We get back from the pool; my husband wants to spend one last time at the spa, so off he goes. I stay in the cabin and pack most everything up. My son watches “How to Train Your Dragon” while I pack. He’s seen it now 3 or 4 times during this cruise. We let him rent the movie, yeah it was $12 but after seeing the same shows repeat endlessly on the other channels we splurged and purchased a couple of movies.

Tip of the Day: If you rent a movie and stop watching just before the credits and hit save. This way you can re-watch the movie numerous times during your trip. As an adult you may not want to re-watch, but my son loved “How to Train your Dragon” and kids will re-watch over and over again. Once the credits are show you can no longer save the movie and you have to re-buy it.

Second tip: Be sure to pick up your colored tags today!

Tonight’s dinner was at Teppanyaki $25. The only reason we went is my son begged for 2 weeks to go. We have a Japanese Steakhouse in our area that we go to on special occasions and the price there is only $17 for the filet. We went; the guy really needed more training. He dropped 3 eggs on the floor and then the soy sauce lid came off while he was pouring it on the rice! He caught it pretty quickly, but it was still a bit much soy. Also, some of the tricks they do he messed up on. I’d say after a few more cruises he’ll be okay, but he needed work. The food itself was okay; I had the Land and Sea (filet and shrimp). The meat was very tender but was missing some flavor. The shrimp was very good. They do start you off with some Edamame that was tasty, then soup, and salad. I probably will not do the Teppanyaki again on NCL, been there done that and it’s better at home for less money.